Heights girls back in the win column

The drought was brutal. Fifty five days, to be exact. Wisconsin Heights’ girls basketball team had lost six straight games during a nearly eight-week span. But the Vanguards ended that skid last week by playing much better basketball. Heights defeated Marshall, 43-41, on Jan. 22. The Vanguards then fell to Belleville, 58-25, last Friday and dropped a 38-32 contest to Mount Horeb last Saturday. Here’s a recap of the Vanguards’ week: • Wisconsin Heights 43, Marshall 41 — The visiting Vanguards rallied from a 14-point deficit and won the game when Mikayla Teela scored with 0.8 seconds left. That marked a thrilling final minute for Teela and the Vanguards. Teela had a pair of offensive rebounds, drew a foul and made a free throw with 41 seconds left to tie the game, 41-41. Monroe had an open 3-pointer with 7 seconds left, but missed and Teela chased down the rebound. Teela then took the ball coast to coast, had a nifty euro step, and a scoop layup for the game-winning basket with 0.8 ticks left. R.J. Kalscheuer then tipped away a long inbounds pass to secure the win.  “It was a fun, exciting game and I am proud of how hard the girls battled,” Heights coach Tyler Fuchs said. Heights trailed, 22-15, at halftime and Monroe built a 36-22 lead with 10:21 left in the game. But the Vanguards held the Cheesemakers to five points in the final 10-plus minutes. Teela finished with a game-high 20 points, while Jocelyn Brabender added 13.  “I was proud of how the girls responded, Fuchs said. “We kept fighting hard and our defense is what carried us to the victory.  “Solid defense and getting to the free throw line brought us back into the game. It was a great team effort the entire game with Mikayla Teela putting on the finishing touches.” • Belleville 58, Wisconsin Heights 25 — Sonja Severson had 12 points for Heights, but it wasn’t nearly enough. Belleville made 11 3-pointers, raced to a 42-7 halftime lead and cruised home. “Belleville has a good team with a number of girls who can make the three ball,” Fuchs said. “They got out to a fast start by hitting a couple threes, which put us in a deficit to start.  “We did a good job moving the ball on offense, which led to some good looks. Unfortunately, they didn’t find the bottom of the net.” Heights did outscore Belleville, 18-16, in the second half after switching to a zone defense. “I was proud of how effective the zone was, especially with it being the first time we’ve ran it in a game this season,” Fuchs said. “Our offense clicked a little more in the second and we got some shots to fall. As always, the girls battled hard the entire game and I enjoy watching them continue to get better.” • Mount Horeb 38, Wisconsin Heights 32 — Jocelyn Brabender had 10 points and R.J. Kalscheur added eight in a losing effort. Heights was playing its second game in as many days — this one at JustAGame Fieldhouse in Wisconsin Dells — and couldn’t quite get over the hump. “We knew it was going to be a challenge,” Fuchs said. “Mount Horeb plays a really intense, in-your-shorts style of defense which gave our offense fits. We struggled moving the ball around as they applied tight on ball defense, as well as taking away the next pass.” The teams were knotted, 18-18, at halftime. But Mount Horeb slowly gained some second half separation and held off the Vanguards. “Our defense created a lot of tough shots and steals, which helped us get some easy buckets,” Fuchs said. “The difference towards the end of the game was they made a couple of big shots and we were unable to make ours. It was a really hard fought game by both teams and we did a good job digging deep to grind all the way until the end.”